Developmental jumps in infants – what are they characterized by, how to recognize them?

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An inseparable element of the experience of the first months of parenting is watching the dizzying pace at which a toddler develops. Some of these changes are so violent that they shock both the parents and the infant, who may be confused by unknown stimuli and possibilities. Such moments are called development leaps. Find out about them in advance to better understand your child’s development.

What are development leaps?

Each newly minted parent takes the greatest possible care for their child and carefully observes almost every breath of it. Therefore, it is easy to imagine how anxious a situation may be the baby becomes crying overnight, refuses to eat, sleeps badly and is not interested in anything other than being on the mother’s hands. Worse, at times it can even seem as if his development has retreated – a toddler suddenly can’t do a lot of the things he has learned before!

However, there is no need to panic. Such a period of reduced activity is a sign that one of the developmental leaps is approaching. As an infant’s nervous system develops, it means an avalanche of new stimuli and a completely different way of experiencing reality for the child himself. Such a sudden change can be overwhelming, and this is what causes an infant’s mood to deteriorate. As soon as he gets used to the new possibilities, he instantly returns to his normal level of activity and amazes his parents with new abilities. It can happen literally overnight.

It is also worth remembering that given below the time of occurrence of developmental jumps is only indicative. Each toddler pays attention to different things, and parts of his brain may develop differently.

1. Baby crying – what does it mean?

Developmental jumps and the model of developmental changes in children

There are three models of developmental changes in children:

1. linear, in which the cause of developmental changes is the influence of the environment on the infant. The condition for changes is its internal maturity. Change is a continuous and fluid accumulation of experiences. Old behavior smoothly turns into new.
2. cyclic-phase (contextual model) – the cause of changes lies in the child’s activity, in his constant interaction with external factors. The condition for changes is the adjustment of external stimuli to the degree of the organism’s maturity achieved. The changes are cyclical, quantitative and qualitative. Old behaviors are modified by new experiences.
3. stage, in which the cause of developmental changes is the inner potential of the toddler, his personal development opportunities. The reason for the changes is the accumulation of experiences and they take place in leaps and bounds. The phases of progression, regression and plateau alternate.

The last model of changes, i.e. the stage one, is the most suitable for developmental leaps. Moving on, the point is that changes in the child’s behavior can take place

1. automatically, but constantly (without noticeable changes in mood);
2. automatically, but by leaps and bounds;
3. with the help of external factors, but also constantly.

The first developmental leap – 5 weeks

The first developmental leap is related to the sharpening of the child’s senses. He may be frightened by new impressions and cry more often. By the way, his digestive system starts to work more efficiently, so the baby rains less and eats better. We will recognize this jump by the child’s clearer reactions, developing the ability to smileand also crying with which the first real tears appear.

The first developmental leap – new skills in an infant:

1. looks, listens more closely and takes longer;
2. is more aware of touch, smells;
3. smiles for the first time or more than before;
4. the digestive system may function better, e.g. the child reflects less frequently, rainfall less frequently;
5. she can cry real tears for the first time.

Also read: Is your baby developing properly?

The second developmental leap – 7-9 weeks

It is believed that with this developmental leap, the infant gains the ability to recognize patterns, repeat in what he sees. Begins to understand that his hands belong to him. He is especially interested in people’s faces, sounds and objects. He tries to grab some of them, although his hands aren’t quite working yet.

The second developmental leap – new skills in an infant:

1. raises his head;
2. He kicks with his feet and waves his handles;
3. touches objects;
4. tries to grab the item;
5. holds the item;
6. he looks at the people around him;
7. looks at the faces;
8. he looks at objects that are glowing;
9. makes short sounds and listens to himself;
10. he likes to listen to songs.

Also check: Key weeks for health

The third developmental leap – 11-12 weeks

The child’s perception and movements gain precision and differentiation. His movements are more coordinated, he grasps objects more confidently and is able to follow their movements with his eyes. If something interests him, he puts it in his mouth right away, using the numerous nerve endings in his mouth. Babies react to changes in the tone of their voice. In addition, he can get bored with the same toy or the environment and signals it.

The third developmental leap – new skills in an infant:

1. is able to coordinate the movements of the eyes and head by following the movement of an object or person;
2. rises to a sitting position holding on to your hands;
3. you push off with both legs while lying in the car seat or on a blanket;
4. catches objects with both handles;
5. puts everything in his mouth;
6. watches and plays with hands;
7. notices that it may squeal and changes the tone of its voice;
8. makes bubbles of saliva;
9. makes it clear that he is bored when, for example, he looks at the same toy for too long.

Find out more: Practice concentration with your child

The fourth developmental leap – week 14-19

After this developmental leap, the child is interested not only in things, but also in what happens to them. Hence the passion for hitting or throwing things off the table. The baby begins to recognize himself in the mirror. Importantly, with this developmental development, the child begins to be a language user. He reacts to his name, understands words spoken in his direction and makes the first attempts to speak, producing individual sounds or syllables.

The fourth developmental leap – new skills of the baby:

1. rolls from back to stomach or vice versa;
2. tries to crawl;
3. he rests on his hands and raises the torso;
4. likes to move his lips, stick out his tongue;
5. can take the item in one hand and transfer it to the other;
6. puts things, mum’s and dad’s hand in his mouth to examine, bite them;
7. tries to hit the table with toys;
8. he deliberately drops the toys to the floor;
9. looking for parents;
10. reacts to his own reflection in the mirror with joy or fear;
11. reacts to his own name;
12. understands words;
13. pronounces new sounds vvv, sss, zzz, rrr etc;
14. uses consonants;
15. he stretches out his hands when he wants to raise them;
16. she licks her lips when she is hungry;
17. pushes the bottle / breast away when it is fully fed;
18. may overreact, e.g. cough again after the parents reacted to the previous cough.

The fifth development leap – week 22-26

Periods of inactivity are longer, in proportion to the level of new abilities. The child discovers relations between objects. He pays attention to their physical position in relation to each other, and gains awareness of the distance between them, for example, from their parents. He distinguishes loved ones from strangers and reacts to them differently. Begins to understand cause and effect relationships. Therefore, the infant will show the greatest interest in toys that emit a sound or light when a button is pressed.

The fifth developmental leap – new abilities of the baby:

1. sits down independently;
2. grabs small objects with the index finger and thumb;
3. knows how to hit two objects against each other while holding them in both hands;
4. takes the toys out of the box and puts them in the box;
5. · Looks from one picture to another in a picture book;
6. observes the movements of a person who is behaving strangely;
7. looks carefully at details, e.g. at a tag sewn onto a teddy bear;
8. imitates the hand waving goodbye;
9. protests when mom or dad leaves.

The sixth leap in development – week 33-37

The sixth developmental leap is important because the child begins to develop what we call intelligence. This manifests itself in the ability to associate objects on the basis of similarity, in other words, categories by which the toddler understands reality. Another manifestation of developing intelligence is the emergence of a sense of humor. The child is able to find something funny and signal it.

The Sixth Developmental Leap – New Baby Skills:

1. shows that it recognizes shapes;
2. shows that he thinks something is funny – by means of – gestures or sounds;
3. comforts / hugs their toys;
4. makes faces to his own reflection in the mirror;
5. the first time he is jealous when mom or dad hugs another child;
6. takes the initiative to play.

Check it out: Bonding between parents and children in early childhood

The seventh developmental leap – 41-48 weeks

During the seventh developmental leap, the child gains the ability to integrate all the skills acquired during the previous leaps. As a result, he is much better informed about reality and begins to show individual preferences. For example, he may refuse to accept a toy that does not interest him.

The toddler is curious about the world and points objects with his finger so that the parent can name them. Mimics heard sounds such as animal sounds and tries to draw. His attention is drawn to situations in which something is hidden, he can also hide objects himself. This proves the deepened understanding of reality that the toddler will develop from then on to finally become an adult.

The seventh developmental leap – new skills of the baby:

1. points to things and wants you to name them;
2. says “no” when he doesn’t want to do something;
3. can pretend to be animal voices;
4. knows what fits together and can insert a round block into a round hole;
5. tries to draw on paper;
6. tries to learn to walk by pushing, for example, a walker or chair;
7. finds something to climb if he wants to get to something;
8. walks backwards from the couch or stairs;
9. tries to aim when throwing the ball;
10. makes it clear that he wants to play with you;
11. is looking for an item that you have hidden;
12. hides the item by itself, waits and laughs when you find it;
13. it gives you a taste of what it eats itself.

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